


The Taste Of Honey On Your Lips

by SiriusNebulae



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - The Great British Bake Off Fusion, Autistic!Nicky, Baking, First Kiss, Fluff, I'm so tired, Judge!Andy, Judge!Celeste, M/M, Merrick is a dick, NeuroDiverse!Nicky, Presenter!Booker, Romantic!Joe, The Great British Bake Off References, andy and quynh eventually get together, but after the show, do i care?, do i know what the title is?, everyone else is a baker, i don't think so, i will do my best to update tags when my brain is working, i write a fic then need to write another mini-fic as a summary?, no, nope! it sure sounds cool tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:19:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27220039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiriusNebulae/pseuds/SiriusNebulae
Summary: If someone had asked Nicky if he was nervous for the first day in the tent, he would have had said no, not at all. He knew what he was doing, he had learned everything from his Nonnina, and she was by far a harsher critic than Paul Hollywood could ever be. But, that said, now that he was surrounded by the 11 other contestants, who mostly seemed on edge, he could admit that he was getting anxious just from being surrounded by them.The only other person who seemed as relaxed as he did was a man across from him, smiling widely and talking with people around him. His hair was a dark brown-black in tight curls, and his skin was a warm brown that seemed to almost shine in the morning sunlight. Somehow, he was making those around him calm down, and Nicky was the slightest bit impressed. Whether because Nicky thought trying to navigate social conversations with people was always difficult, or by the way the man was unconsciously slowly spreading calm to everyone as his conversation drew more and more people in, he couldn't say.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 43
Kudos: 195





	The Taste Of Honey On Your Lips

**Author's Note:**

> as seen in the tags, it's so late and i'm so tired w my hectic life rn but i rly wanted to post this and mostly i rly just wanted to see everyone's reactions and comments bc it brings me so much happiness
> 
> shout out and thanks for inspiration from my friend at https://silly-old-guard-aus.tumblr.com/. I hope you're excited, I can't wait to see what u think!  
> shout out to ppl on my server being great and helpful and yelling compliments at me!! <3 <3
> 
> i hope you all enjoy!!!

If someone had asked Nicky if he was nervous for the first day in the tent, he would have had said no, not at all. He knew what he was doing, he had learned everything from his Nonnina, and she was by far a harsher critic than Paul Hollywood could ever be. But, that said, now that he was surrounded by the 11 other contestants, who mostly seemed on edge, he could admit that he was getting anxious just from being surrounded by them. 

The only other person who seemed as relaxed as he did was a man across from him, smiling widely and talking with people around him. His hair was a dark brown-black in tight curls, and his skin was a warm brown that seemed to almost shine in the morning sunlight. Somehow, he was making those around him calm down, and Nicky was the slightest bit impressed. Whether because Nicky thought trying to navigate social conversations with people was always difficult, or by the way the man was unconsciously slowly spreading calm to everyone as his conversation drew more and more people in, he couldn't say.

Nicky smiled slightly, his lips barely quirking- he knew he rarely smiled the same way others did. Yes, this was because his Nonnina liked to point it out, smiled at him and would say _Nicolo Nicolo, amore mio, when you smile, someone has to be watching you real close. When you find someone who can see you are smiling, that's how you know they love you, they pay attention to you so much._ Of course, the next thing out of her mouth was always _And you never eat enough! That's how someone should show their love, cooking and feeding you!_

Her words often floated across his mind, and it has never bothered him that no one could tell about his smiles yet. He wasn't asking for that; he loved baking, and that was enough in his life. Getting on GBBO? That had been amazing, it IS amazing, being here. 

Actually being here, this first early morning, he's excited. He's got everything he needs, he's got his stim toy in his pocket, his oven magnet, and is wearing his favorite shirt. Not that anyone could tell, it looked like a plain, came in a pack of 5, shirt. But it was soft and he loved the color and there wasn't a tag on the neck- his favorite, easily. 

The one part of this he was uncomfortable with, would be the cameras and crew _everywhere._ Right now they were milling about, not really filming them yet, but they would begin soon. Having a crew dedicated solely on him, on each baker, a few extra for wider shots or judges, it was going to be a busy tent. He wasn't looking forward to that. Even now, by some unseen signal, the crews seemed to be done prepping and were slowly surrounding them. 

He looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, and he caught the eye of the man from before, who was still talking charmingly to those around him. All of the other contestants were near him now, hanging on to every word, but he wasn't looking at them. 

He was looking directly at Nicky. 

Unsure of himself, Nicky could only stare back. But that didn't seem to matter to the man, who looked at the cameras before turning to wink at him. Like nothing unusual had happened at all, he easily turned back to his impromptu audience and kept talking and smiling. 

Before Nicky could even begin to process what had happened, why had the man winked at him, what the wink _meant,_ they were already being addressed. 

"Welcome Bakers!" 

A man with floppy hair, sad eyes, and a disheveled appearance was standing at the steps leading down to the pavilion with the tent. He was smiling widely. To one side, two women stood next to him, the judges presumably, and all around, the crews had gotten into place. If he wasn't so distracted thinking about the other man and his wink, Nicky would have to admire the way they were able to keep out of each other's sight lines so well. 

"Welcome to the Great British Bake Off! I am your presenter, Sebastian Le Livre, but you can all call me Booker! And here are our judges, aka Boss Number One," the audience chuckles along, "and Your Angel-" 

He's cut off by the judge with the stern face and shorter hair elbowing him in the stomach. He laughs before smiling sheepishly. "Judge Andy here: watch out everyone, she's deadly in the tent, and Celeste, who's nice as nice can be, but isn't afraid to say what she thinks!" 

Again, everyone is laughing along, including the judges. Even Andy, the stern one, has a slight smile on her face. Nicky chances a glance at the man from before, who has a wide smile on his face. Again, as if he knows Nicky's watching him, he turns slightly to look directly at him, as if he's trying to invite Nicky to share in his laughter.

"Hopefully you've gotten the chance to chat with some of your co-bakers," Booker continues, "and you're not too tired from being up this morning-" he pretends to look around before stage-whispering: "don't tell Andy, but i was up all last night binge watching the last few seasons so i knew what to say-" the audience again laughs at his spectacle good-naturedly, "-but i only remember the first episode and then waking up with flour all over me!" 

Even Nicky smiles at this joke, remembering the many times he had stayed up all night trying to perfect a bake, only to wake up in his kitchen, surrounded by mess, dough in his hair, flour everywhere, and the oven still running, a loaf of bread sat on the table in front of him miraculously. It seems like everyone else is in the same boat, he can see the embarrassed smiles and looks of camaraderie on everyone's faces. 

"Thank you, Booker," the judge Celeste interrupts with a nice smile. "Your lack of knowledge in baking will be half the fun this season." 

Booker pretends to look wounded, hand going to his heart.

"Anyways," Celeste continues. "Like you were briefed beforehand, these will be long days of filming, sometimes up to 16 hours a day. Lunch, snacks, and refreshments will be provided for you, and will be scheduled in so as to not interfere with your bakes. On the Saturday nights, as you all know, you will be sleeping here, where beds, meals, and anything else you need will be provided-"

"Steal the soap while you can!" Booker chimes in, getting another elbow in the stomach from Andy. Still, it causes the audience to laugh again, to insert some humor into the knowledge that there will be long, arduous weekends on top of the baking already. 

Andy takes a step forward. "You are here to bake. You will all do well, and you have already won just by getting to this point. If you are sent home, you don't talk about this until _after_ the show airs. Do you understand?" 

Everyone nods, suddenly serious in the face of Andy's pronouncements.

Celeste rests a hand on Andy's shoulder, smiling softly. "At the end of Sundays, we have cars that will take you back to your place. If you are unable to make the trip home, or for some other reason you cannot leave that night, you are allowed to stay here Sunday night and be driven back the next morning. Do you have any questions?" 

A short man near the front raises his hand.

"Yes, Merrick?" 

"Um, yes." He straightens his shirt, a smug smile on his face. "Not to sound snooty or anything, really, I mean, what if we have a driver already?" 

_Madre de Dio,_ Nicky thinks, already hating him. He can see similar looks of annoyance and weariness on other peoples faces. Especially on the winking man's face- no longer smiling, one eyebrow raised as if to say 'really?'

Andy opens her mouth to reply, and if she looked pissed before, she looks even more so now, but Booker interrupts her loudly:

"Is he looking for a partner?" He jokes, again, making the crowd chuckle lightly. "I have to say, I have driven places before, and so, an excellent driver, I think I will make." He winks, but even to Nicky, it looks fake. Not as in phony, but in the way that the smile on his face doesn't reach his eyes. 

But, Nicky supposes, it is early dawn, and he can't really blame Booker for not being fully enthused. Regardless, it seems that everyone is content to ignore Merrick's comment for now, though people are giving him small glares now that they've had a hint of his personality.

"I'm afraid you signed a contract, Booker," Celeste plays along. "You can go drive _after_ this season is done." She turns back to face them. "If you do not require a ride home from us, feel free to let us know when you leave each weekend. Now," she smiles at them, "shall we enter the tent?" 

They are herded loosely down the steps and into the tent, camera crews trailing behind while they all look around gawking. 

It looks just like it does on television. The beige carpet, the plastic walls, the pastel, wooden stations with blue fridges close by. The decorations of baking themed-items lining the walls, everything is here. The only part that's different, as far as Nicky can tell, is that the space is _much_ larger than it looks on television. The spaces between the stations are larger, the walkway down the middle of the tent seems like it goes on and on. 

_Maybe it will be smaller when everyone and the crews are actually in the space,_ he thinks. 

"Listen up!" Andy's voice rings out in the tent, and everyone turns to look at her from where they are crowded near the opening. "We're going to read off your names and assign you to stations. There are no switching stations. If something is broken already, tell us now. After this, we will walk you through what filming will look like. Understand?" 

Nodding along with the rest of the bakers, Nicky is glad they will be calling out names. They already did loose introductions yesterday, but he has to be honest and say he remembers absolutely _none_ of them. Not even cute winking-man's name. 

Booker walks over to the closest station, and Celeste reads off a name from the paper in front of her: "Quynh!"

Bowing dramatically, Booker displays the station as a woman with straight black hair, who's possibly East Asian, walks confidently to the station and takes a seat on the provided stool. 

He moves to the station behind the first, again gesturing dramatically at the station.

"Dizzy!" 

The one behind that. 

"Copley!" 

Further back. 

"Keane!" 

Second from the back. He could give Vanna White a run for her money.

"Joe!" 

_Oh, **that's** winking-man's name,_ Nicky thinks absently, watching as _Joe_ smiles broadly at Booker as he claps his shoulder, moving to sit on his stool. Booker grins and moves to the last table in the row.

"Nicky!" 

His feet are already moving before Nicky even knows what's happening, automatically heading to his station. He keeps his head down, nodding awkwardly at Booker in thanks. By the time he's sat in his stool, Booker has already crossed the aisle and moved to the last station across from him.

"Andrei!"

Nicky watches absently as a young white man strides to the station, not really paying too much attention. 

"Lykon!"

A handsome, smiling Black man walks forward easily, and it seems as though his entire life is an enjoyed amusement, a pure adventure. Nicky almost likes him immediately for it.

"Meta Kozak!" 

A bland, middle aged white woman walks to the middle station, face neutral and placid. He's absently listening to Celeste call out names and his thoughts start to wander. 

The bakers each season were always so diverse, in all aspects, including age. However, for some reason, that doesn't seem to have happened this time around? Everyone seems to be about his age, give or take five or ten years. Was this on purpose? 

Celeste's voice rings in the background: "Nile!" 

His eyes quickly dart over to see a smiling, young Black woman in a green bomber jacket bounce to her station, braids perfectly done. Again, just like Lykon, he immediately likes her, if nothing else than by her absolutely pure happiness of being here. 

What will they be baking this season? All his watching and practice for the different weeks, especially bread week, will be put to good use. If nothing else, just like his life, he will do good with the baking, and probably not the best with the people. 

The second from the front station. "Jay!" 

What did Joe's wink from earlier mean? Was it just a friendly thing, a romantic wink, a wink that isn't as deep as he is thinking it is? 

He wouldn't mind, he just wants to _know._ His hand absently fiddles with his stim toy, trying to make his brain slow down just a bit, stay focused on the present. Not that that will do any good. Because A), he was no good at names or faces, so this really was not helpful. All he knew was that Joe, Lykon, and Nile all seemed the nicest and happiest, and thus were the only names he could remember; and B), how could he focus on that when he still felt slightly dazed just from Joe in general?

Finally, they're at the last station. "Merrick!" 

Celeste is speaking before Nicky even understands that everyone is at their station. He shakes his head, trying to focus once more. 

"Okay everyone! Take 30 to get familiar with your stations and the areas around you. Say hi to your neighbors, make sure you know how to work the ovens and cook tops, etcetera etcetera!" 

Everyone moves and devolves into poking about and opening drawers immediately. Pans crash together, cabinet doors slam shut, and quiet muttering fills the air. Everyone is focused on exploring their own little station and area. Nicky pulls out his oven magnet from his pocket, easily attaching it to the metal-infused glass front. It's a small magnet, but in an eye catching fluorescent yellow, with the words "Do Not Open With Face" printed in bold black ink. He smiles slightly and pats it, turning to investigate his station. 

By the time he's done looking through his station and the fridge with the attached freezer, Joe is leaning casually at his station, smiling easily as Nicky walks back. 

"So," Joe gestures to the oven, "what's the sign for?" 

Nicky's hand fumbles for his shirt hem, playing with the fabric as he awkwardly comes to stand behind his station across from Joe. "It's from my Nonnina, so I remember not to try and look in the oven when I first open it, getting all the heat directly in my face." He's not embarrassed, he could never be, especially knowing she made the magnet specially for him, but he's still not sure what Joe's going to say. 

"Ah," Joe laughs, eyes bright as he looks at Nicky. "You're a far smarter man than I; the lesson of not sticking my head in the oven immediately is one I painfully relearn daily." 

Nicky smiles and holds out his hand. "I'm Nicky." 

Joe reaches out and shakes it. "Nice to meet you. I go by Joe or Yusuf. And I must say," he winks charmingly, not letting go of Nicky's hand, "what a lovely smile you have." 

**Author's Note:**

> Per usual, i have no idea when i will update, how long chapters will be, how many chapter i will have, etc etc  
> life is still p hectic, but it will calm down in a few weeks and i can't wait to go back to writing for all my WIPs
> 
> i love kudos', comments, recs, anything! I reply to every comment (it may take me a bit longer rn, but i WILL reply, that is a threat) <3 
> 
> i'm so tired, idk what else i was going to say. i hope you all like it! 
> 
> catch u on the flipside :D


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